Way Of The Heart
by Phanstarlight
Summary: 'The Elven King did not move or speak, he hardly ate, and almost never slept. Not since that fateful day three months ago; not since the day Bard Bowman died' Legolas is forced to watch his father fall apart, and their kingdom along with him. Thranduil/Bard, major character death.


**This turned out a lot sadder than I first intended. As always, I don't own any rights to Middle Earth. Enjoy!**

"How is he today?"

"The same as always. He's staring out the window, not moving, not talking, not eating... I don't think he's even slept"

Legolas shook his head in despair and quickly dismissed the guard before entering the room. It was the same as usual; cold and dark with no fires lit and only the light of the outdoor world streaming in from one window since all others had the curtains firmly drawn. And by that window sat Thranduil. Legolas' body tensed at the sight of his father sitting back in his great armchair, his body thin and frail with his eyes cast aimlessly out into the world.

"Father?" Legolas ventured. Thranduil gave him no answer or even acknowledged his presence but Legolas had been expecting as much. The Elven King did not move or speak, he hardly ate, and almost never slept. Not since that fateful day three months ago; not since the day Bard Bowman died.

* * *

"Come on, we'll have barely left before sunset at this rate" Bard called out to Thranduil as he waited impatiently by the door.

"Would you rather I froze to death instead?" Thranduil replied testily from inside his chambers. Bard rolled his eyes and started tapping his foot on the floor. The two of them were supposed to be going out. Nothing big or important, just a small walk through the gardens of Thranduil's palace. But after seeing a singular snowflake fall from the sky, the Elven King had decided he needed to change into warmer garments. To be fair, since that point the snow had gotten much heavier and now lay across the land like a soft, untouched blanket. This was taking much longer than Bard had originally anticipated. He was just about to give up and go out by himself when Thranduil finally emerged from his chambers. Grateful to have that process over with, Bard linked their arms together and they began walking towards the door.

The air was cool and crisp as the two of them stepped outside. Bard felt Thranduil shiver slightly beside him and smiled to himself- the elf had never been very good with the cold. Bard, on the other hand, loved it. It reminded him of winters as a child playing with his parents, walking hand in hand with his late wife, messing around in the snow with his own children and now, walking with Thranduil and listening to the faint laughter of his children as they played some kind of game with Legolas in the distance.

"See? It's not _that_ cold out here" Bard smiled to himself, playfully nudging his shoulder against Thranduil's. Thranduil sighed disdainfully but Bard could clearly see a soft smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes. Slowly he reached out and held Bard's hand in his, interlocking their fingers. Bard smiled to himself and gently squeezed Thranduil's hand in reply. The two of them walked together, breathing in the cold, refreshing air.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a stranger had entered the palace. A stranger with a dark and vengeful purpose. They drifted through the long corridors and passageways unseen and unnoticed as Bard and Thranduil made their way through the palace gardens. Silently they made their way towards a vantage point at the top of one of the towers that surrounded the palace gardens, easily missing the patrolling guards around the area. They found their way to their destination and watched and waited for the Elven King to appear. They were, of course, shocked to see a man with the King once he finally came into view. What was a mere man doing with an Elven King? No matter, that was not what they were here for. Their sole mission was to erase Thranduil and that was what they had pledged to do. Slowly, not moving their eyes from Thranduil, they reached back and pulled a single arrow from its quiver. Silently drawing the bow, their body remained still and their mind focused as they tracked their target. Several motionless moments passed, then they released their grip and let the arrow fly. But then time seemed to slow down almost until it completely stopped. As the arrow raced through the air, the stranger whose aim never failed watched in horror as the man jumped to Thranduil's side. In that simple act of an attempt to make his lover laugh, all three of their fates were sealed.

The only warning either Bard or Thranduil had was the sharp sound of a single arrow piercing through the air. Bard gasped as a sudden agonising pain hit him. Slowly, he looked down to see the arrow protruding from his chest. Thranduil just managed to catch him before he collapsed.

"No, no don't do this. This isn't how this ends. Not now, I can't lose you now" Thranduil panicked as he lowered Bard to the ground. He watched in horror as the blood spilt over his hands, causing the bright white snow beneath them to turn dark crimson. He was vaguely aware of guards running past him, most likely towards the source of the arrow. But he could only focus on the man in his arms.

"Not yet, you can't leave me yet" Thranduil pleaded, tears pricking at his eyes.

"Shhhh, it's okay" Bard managed to say, reaching up a hand to cup Thranduil's face. Thranduil could see it was very much not okay as blood poured out onto his hands.

"Please..." Thranduil begged, as if he could keep Bard alive through sheer willpower.

"You always knew I would die long before you. I am mortal and you are not; the length of my life is nothing more than a blink in yours" Bard tried to comfort Thranduil with that thought as he clung to him.

"But it's too soon" Thranduil replied, tears rolling down his cheeks and onto Bard's chest. Bard was about to reply but stopped short when Thranduil's body suddenly jerked forwards. Slowly, Thranduil reached down and touched his side. He winced as the pain shot through his body. Pulling his hand back in front of him, he watched in a dread filled daze as blood dripped from his fingers.

"No..." Bard whispered, reaching up and pulling Thranduil's hand into his. He felt the warm blood drip onto him and his breath caught in his throat. This time, the assassin's aim had rung true.

"I can't-" Thranduil choked out, slipping forwards slightly.

"No, no, no! Not you, please. This can't happen to you" Bard whispered in panic, wincing as he reached around Thranduil's back and his fingers grazed the shaft of the arrow. Thranduil said nothing as the two of them locked eyes and suddenly, he felt at peace. The thought of having to live without Bard tore him from the inside out. He always knew he would outlive him, that was inevitable. But the thought of it happening so soon, before their time was truly over together, was too much to bear. But if he died here with him, he would never have to face that. To some, that may seem like he was giving up. But in truth, Thranduil was content with such a thing. Compared to even a single day without Bard beside him, death was the more merciful option.

"It's okay," Thranduil whispered comfortingly, managing a weak smile "we'll be together, even in death"

Slowly, Thranduil leant down over Bard and with one final glance back up to his lover's eyes, Thranduil pressed their lips together. Bard's lips tasted warm with a slight metallic tang of blood but Thranduil didn't care. He felt Bard's lips smile against his own and he smiled back before finally pulling away. Bard sighed gently and took one last look at Thranduil's delicate features before closing his eyes for the last time.

Thranduil's breath caught in his throat as he stared down at Bard's peaceful, unmoving face. A sob escaped his lips before he could stop himself. Gently, he leant forwards and laid his head on Bard's chest. Collapsing down next to him, he felt the cold snow seep through his clothes and sent a shiver up his spine. But that didn't matter now. Soon, nothing would matter; not anymore. Thranduil shut his eyes and let everything drift away with a calm sigh.

"Father!"

Thranduil's eyes shot back open at the sound of his son's voice cutting through the white noise around him. He looked up to see Legolas crouching down next to him.

"It's okay Legolas, let me go" Thranduil whispered and Legolas's eyes grew wide. He then wrapped his arms around his father and began pulling him up.

"No Legolas, please. I'm ready" Thranduil said a little more firmly but Legolas pointedly ignored him. Thranduil then began struggling against his son's hold but he was far too weak to put up much of a fight.

"Legolas, stop! Please, don't make me live without him. I can't face the world without Bard. Legolas, please!" Thranduil pleaded, allowing the tears he had been able to keep at bay fall freely down his cheeks. Suddenly more pairs of arms were around him as he was lifted off his feet and carried back towards his palace. The last thing Thranduil saw as he looked back was Bard's lifeless body lying alone in the snow, surrounded by a pool of red. Then everything went black and he collapsed.

* * *

Legolas hated seeing his father this way. As much as he knew saving him had been the right thing to do, he couldn't help but blame himself for the empty shell Thranduil had become. In that moment, his father had been ready to die. He had excepted his fate and was willing to let go of everything, and Legolas had taken that away from him. He had forced him to live another eternity when he didn't want it.

At first, Legolas wondered why Bard's death seemed to affect his father more than his mother's death. He even became angry at Thranduil because how could the loss of one man mean more to him than the loss of the mother of his child? Until someone had shown him that it was because of Legolas that his true emotions came through. When his mother had died, Legolas had only been a young boy. Thranduil didn't openly show how much her death hurt him because he had to be strong for Legolas' sake. But a lot of time had passed since then and Legolas was old enough to understand the truth. Thranduil even trusted him of being capable to lead his kingdom in his absence- and ultimately after his death. That's when Legolas had begun to understand. He may have saved his father's body, but a part of his soul had died with Bard. And that was never going to repair itself.


End file.
